Rebecca C. Tuite
 

Books

 
 

1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962

ORDER NOW: AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / THAMES & HUDSON / LIBRARIE GALIGNANI

One of only seven editors-in-chief in American Vogue’s history, Jessica Daves has remained one of fashion’s most enigmatic figures—until now. Diana Vreeland’s direct predecessor in the role, it is Daves who first catapulted the magazine into modernity.

A testament to a changing America on every level, Daves’s Vogue was the first to embrace a ‘high/low’ blend of fashion in its pages and also introduced world-renowned artists, literary greats, and cultural icons into every issue with a revitalized dedication. Daves’s Vogue offered the reader a complete vision of how fashion, interiors, art, architecture, entertaining, literature, and culture were all connected and all contributed to refining and defining personal style. Profiling icons of American style from John and Jackie Kennedy to Charles and Ray Eames, Daves’s Vogue also featured the couture creations of Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, and Balenciaga.

Organized in multifaceted, thematic chapters, 1950s in Vogue features carefully curated photographs, illustrations and page spreads from the Vogue archives (with both iconic and less-familiar images from photographers including William Klein, Irving Penn, John Rawlings, Karen Radkai and Erwin Blumenfeld), as well as reproductions of fascinating archival  materials and correspondence to craft the comprehensive story of Daves’s Vogue.

 1950s in Vogue is the first exquisitely illustrated volume to profile both Jessica Daves and her Vogue. Revealing a fascinating and hitherto little-explored moment in Vogue history, 1950s in Vogue is a must-have reference for lovers of fashion, photography, and style.

 

Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look

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The first beautifully illustrated volume exclusively dedicated to the female side of preppy style by American college girls. The Seven Sisters-a prestigious group of American colleges, whose members include fashion icons such as Katharine Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, Ali MacGraw, and Meryl Streep-perfected a flair that spoke to an aspirational lifestyle filled with education, travel, and excitement. Their style, on campus and off, was synonymous with an intelligence and American grace that became a marker of national pride and status all over the world: from jeans and baggy shirts to Bermuda shorts and blazers, soft Shetland sweaters and saddle shoes, not to mention sleek suiting, pearls, elegant suitcases, kidskin gloves, kitten heels, and cashmere. "[The college girl's] contribution to fashion is as American as Coca-Cola, baseball and hitch-hiking," announced Harper's Bazaar in 1935. 

Seven Sisters Style explores the multifaceted foundations and metamorphosis of this style, from the early twentieth century through today. Was the Seven Sisters girl an East Coast Ivy Leaguer? A geek or a goddess? Radical or conservative? A tomboy or an American princess? In many ways, she was all of these and more. This book presents a treasure trove of stunning visuals, including those from the archives of the Seven Sisters colleges that illustrate their legacy and enduring reverberations on and off the runway, in Hollywood, and in popular culture. From Dior's tailored blazers, wrap skirts, and short socks and heels to Balenciaga's juxtaposing the argyle sweater, collared blouse, and sharp tailored blazer, and even Band of Outsiders' silk pajama tartans with oversized coats and collegiate wool hats and scarves, it is a look that continues to fascinate and inspire.

 

1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962

“Rarely, if ever, has this reader come across a book of this genre that was as thoroughly annotated, enlightening, informative and just incredible on so many different levels.”

-New York journal of books 

“Having poured over the 220 issues of the magazine edited by Daves, Tuite has organized her own book into eight sections focused on subjects from cocktail dressing to culture that demonstrate the breadth of Daves’s interests.”

-Vogue.com

“Through archival images, essays and letters, “1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years, 1952-1962” by Rebecca C. Tuite traces the tidal shift at the essential magazine during the editorship of Jessica Daves, who not only featured fashion but also the cultural output of artists and literary figures, laying the groundwork for the brand that still thrives today.”

-LOS ANGELES TIMES

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1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years is an absolutely must read for anyone who has a thirst for fashion history in addition to those who may not know the name Jessica Daves […] A tip of the hat goes to Rebecca C. Tuite who has finally aimed that klieg light on one of the stars of fashion during a time when fashion was becoming international. 1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years is a gift to all readers who adore fashion’s roots including how printed media such as Vogue and Bazaar became fashion bibles for women all over the world.”

-NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

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“THE BEST BOOKS OF THE WEEK: If you’ve got a fashionista on your gift list, this coffee table tome takes a beautiful look at the years 1952-1962 under Jessica Daves, one of only seven editors in chief in the history of American Vogue.”

-NEW YORK POST

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Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look

“...a beautifully illustrated, intensively researched celebration of the all-American preppy style pioneered by the women of the Seven Sisters Colleges. The Seven Sisters' style changed how all women dressed and it became known the world over as inherently American. A lot of ink has been spilled in the past few years celebrating male Ivy style — Seven Sisters Style is, finally, the companion piece we've been waiting for.”

-REFINERY29

 

“Tuite is the author of the sensational book, Seven Sisters Style: The All-American Preppy Look, a nostalgic look at the birth of prep on the prestigious female-only campuses of Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar and Wellesley, where style icons such as Katharine Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy and Meryl Streep spent their college days.”

-DUJOUR.COM

“[seven sisters style is] an unusual, delightful book born of diligent research. Rebecca, who studied briefly at Vassar, has realised the book as a labour of love and an earnest attempt to show the world a different side to women’s fashion – an elite world made entirely of remarkable women doing remarkable things.

-Irish times

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“HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHERE TRUE STYLE OR FASHION KNOW-HOW COMES FROM?[…] SWOT UP ON College STYLE IN THIS FASCINATING BOOK. REBECCA C. TUITE HAS DONE HER HOMEWORK WITH FLAIR AND PANACHE.”

-VERVE MAGAZINE, NZ

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"Fashion Titles You Need to Read This Spring: This is a fantastic photo and essay collection on the underappreciated role of women’s college campuses in establishing the codes of preppy fashion."

-InStyle.com

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"Billed as a response to Take Ivy — the 1965 Japanese photo book documenting the preppy style of male Ivy Leaguers — Seven Sisters Style celebrates the style evolution of the American college girl, from calico and cardigans to Bermuda shorts and, eventually, jeans. Icons include Katharine Hepburn (Bryn Mawr class of 1928), Jackie Kennedy (who attended Vassar for two years before transferring to George Washington University), and Meryl Streep (Vassar class of 1971)."

-New York Magazine

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"Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis appropriated Seven Sisters style to their own ends, making huge amounts of money. Prep became a bona-fide catwalk look, with the ragged jeans getting a clean-up and the scratchy camel polo coats reworked in luxurious silk mixes. The preppy look became something to aspire to as opposed to something a woman would wear on the way to lectures. […] Tuite’s book is a thorough look at exactly how and why these changes happened, but it’s not just about fashion. It’s a book about strong, smart women. The fact they were so well-dressed is a welcome side- effect of their personal innovations.”

-Irish times

Interior Photographs of Seven Sisters Style via TomboyStyle/The Reed Blog